Turkish coffee (Qahwa)

A table with a try of Turkish coffe cups along with pot and water.

5 from 3 votes

A delicious thick and rich coffee made from finely ground coffee beans. This kind of coffee is very popular throughout the Middle East.

Cook Time7 mins

Course: Drinks

Cuisine: Middle Eastern, Turkish

Diet: Halal, Vegan, Vegetarian

Servings: cup

Calories: 15kcal

Author: Amira

Ingredients

1 heaping teaspoon Turkish coffee 4 g
2 ½ fl. Oz. tap water
1 teaspoon sugar

Instructions

Pour water into a coffee pot (cezve), add coffee and sugar stir for 3-4 times.
Place the pot over medium-low heat and do not stir anymore.
The coffee will start to bubble at the edges and rise up.
Lower the heat to minimum and keep a watchful eye for like 30 seconds, do not let it boil. If it started to boil remove from heat for a couple of seconds then return it back.
Slowly pour the coffee into the cup just until all the foam is in the cup.
Return the pot to the low heat and let it foam up again.
Remove from heat and slowly pour the remaining coffee into the cup.
Serve immediately.

Notes

The idea is to have a foamy thick layer on top of the coffee cup, in Arabic this is called wesh (literally translated as face), it is considered a disgrace to present coffee to guests without that foam.
Making Turkish coffee needs patience and practice.
When making multiple cups divide the foam between cups.
If you are a beginner I do not recommend making more than one cup at a time.
Turkish coffee are usually presented in small cups, if you do not have these cups, espresso cups can work too.
Turkish grind coffee comes in two flavors here in the US, plain and gourmet with cardamom. In the Middle East there are plenty of types of gourmet coffee and each shop has its own secret blend of spices for a flavorful aromatic out of this world coffee.
Variations:
- Make it with milk, this is usually served in a regular coffee mug (8 oz). Place milk along with coffee grind, sugar and sometimes a dash of cinnamon. Bring to a boil on medium low and pour directly into the mug there is no need for the foam style presentation here.
- There are other levels of sweetening the Turkish coffee:
  - Super sweetened this is a beginners level (Sarya’osee in Arabic): 3 teaspoons sugar for 1 teaspoon coffee.
  - Extra sweetened (Zeyada in Arabic): 2 teaspoons sugar to 1 teaspoon of coffee.
  - Medium sweetened ( Manoo in Arabic) : 1 ½ teaspoon sugar to 1 teaspoon coffee.
  - Just right swatted ( Mazboot in Arabic) : 1 teaspoon sugar to 1 teaspoon coffee.
  - Non sweetened ( Al Reha) for experienced coffee drinkers: 0.5 teaspoon sugar to 1 teaspoon coffee.
  - Non tweeted ( Sada): zero sugar and only coffee
How to drink and serve Turkish coffee (Turkish coffee etiquette):
- Turkish coffee must be served on a tray with a tall glass of cold water. It is said that in the Arab world they usually serve water with coffee to know if their guest is hungry or not. If the guest picked up the water first then they know that the guest is hungry and they must prepare a banquet immediately. If he pick up the coffee first then he is not that hungry and they should prepare light banquet instead.
- In Egypt, it is from the traditions to only serve non sweetened Turkish coffee during solace when you go to give comfort to the family of a deceased person. This tradition is still practiced in many parts of Egypt.
- When drinking Turkish coffee you should sip it lightly without making a sound and do not stir the coffee and disturb the coffee grounds as they will accumulate at the bottom of the cup.
- It is also from the old traditions in many countries to flip the cup after finishing drinking the coffee of course on the small plate. Then old ladies and grannies take a deep look into the cup to read the future of the person. Worth noting that this practice is no longer practiced among Muslims as it goes against Islamic believes.
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